Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

It must have been quite a sight when the stillness of the upper the room exploded with the Holy Spirit’s power and flames of fire rested on the tops of their heads. The body and soul of each person was saturated by the Holy Spirit. They had never experienced anything like it before and began speaking unknown foreign languages.

Suddenly the Holy Spirit moved upon the group and they headed out the door, spilling out to the streets of Jerusalem filled with Jews from foreign countries. The 120 men and women caused such a commotion that they were accused of being drunk.

Take note that the Holy Spirit did not select a leader to guide the disciples; it was directed solely by the Holy Spirit.

Any fear of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin was absent as they boldly preached Christ crucified and resurrected in different languages. verses 2-13

PETER CALLED TO PREACH
Luke was the writer of the Book of Acts and he interviewed the apostles, some of the 70 others and women following Jesus. When he started to travel with Paul, he became an eyewitness of many events.

Either Luke was not told or he purposely did not reveal where Peter was standing when he preached his first sermon after the Holy Spirit baptism. Since more than 3,000 Jews responded to his message, Peter must have been standing in some public place, elevated above the crowd so that all could see and hear him. It is possible that this event took place on the temple ground which had room for thousands to congregate.
Acts 2:14-36

The convicting power of the Holy Spirit fell on the crowd and they cried out to Peter and the other apostles as to what they should do. verse 37

Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. verses 38-40

THE SPIRIT REALM
The Holy Spirit operates in the spirit world and projects power into our physical existence. Peter did not carefully prepare what he was going to say; it was completely spontaneous. He had no idea he was going to preach until the Holy Spirit moved upon him to stand up and speak, while simultaneously disconnecting Peter’s brain and using his mouth to speak. It was all supernatural.

At the same time, the Holy Spirit created a powerful force field that enveloped the men listening to Peter. The Holy Spirit supernaturally confirmed in their minds that what they were hearing was true. The third person of the Godhead created conviction in the souls of the men that caused them to repent.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11)

WATER BAPTISM
As a pastor, the maximum number of people I have baptized in one setting was ten at a lake. The only large source of water near Jerusalem was the 225-foot-long Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed a blind man. It was used for ritual bathing and cleansing.
John 9:1-7

Luke stated that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit took place in the morning. Most likely Peter began to preach close to lunch time for half an hour. This means that Peter and the rest of the apostles walked before the crowd of 3,000 men to the Pool of Siloam, where they began the baptism.

The apostles undoubtedly did the baptizing, but the seventy others could have also participated. Acts 2:41

It is noteworthy that Luke does not mention any meddling or interference by from the ungodly Jewish leadership or by Governor Pontius Pilate.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
My first experience with the power of the Holy Spirit took place at a Full Gospel Business Men’s International Fellowship meeting in 1970 when I saw a man healed of Multiple Sclerosis. He was a skinny man in a wheelchair with braces around his arms and legs to keep them in place. I witnessed muscles grow on his body and he rose up from the wheelchair, needing no assistance.

I attended several Kathryn Kuhlman meetings and observed people healed from different diseases, and I saw numerous paralyzed people rise from their wheelchairs and walk.

When I started to pray for the sick in my own meetings, I was surprised to see how the Holy Spirit worked wonders and miracles among the people coming forward for prayer.

I would say the most thrilling moment in my preaching was when the Holy Spirit brought conviction to the audience and they came forward to be born again.

I have felt the Holy Spirit power countless times when casting out demons.

The Holy Spirit is a friend, and for many years, I have asked Him to show me what to do and He has led me from victory to victory. He told me when to move from one city to another, what house to purchase, to start speaking on the radio, where to buy cars, and where to start churches. He instructed me to begin webcasting our Sunday morning service. I have come to rely on the Holy Spirit just like people rely on their smart phone to guide them via GPS. The Holy Spirit is a constant presence in my life.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 2:29)

SUMMARY
The disciples of Jesus were simply used to doing what He told them to do. This is the way it had been for 3.5 years. The God-man was with them and it was normal to look to Jesus for instruction. After the ascension and they were alone in the upper room, they followed the lead of Peter when he took charge, But Peter had no instructions and they were still clueless.

When the Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, He took possession of all 120 persons and moved upon them so that they spoke in tongues and led them out into the streets where they continued to praise God in various languages. After a while, the Holy Spirit moved upon Peter to preach and then God took charge of his mouth.

What was the lesson learned? Get used to different. Jesus would no longer physically lead them. It was therefore necessary to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit for daily instruction.

The concept of the Godhead (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) was not that well defined in the Old Testament. The 120 had only heard Jesus speak about the Holy Spirit. They had no idea that they were waiting for the third person of the Godhead and they certainly had no inkling as to what was going to happen when the Holy Spirit finally arrived.